Game Notes: Honduras v Costa Rica

HONDURAS

• Last Time Out at the Gold Cup: Haiti 1, Honduras 0 (July 13, 2015) ... Duckens Nazon (13’) scored the only goal as Honduras finished last in Group A (0W-1D-2L)

• Head Coach: Jorge Luis Pinto (Colombia) .. since 2014 ... in second stint in charge of Costa Rica, led the Ticos to 2014 World Cup quarterfinals, team’s best-ever finish

• Previous Gold Cup Appearances: 12 (1991, 1993, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015) ... Gold Cup record: GP-44; W-18; D-7; L-19; GF-67; GA-58 ... Best Finish: Runner-up-1 (1991) ... Top CGC Scorer: Carlos Pavon (9 goals)

• Qualification method: Champion, 2017 Copa Centroamericana (Overall Record: GP-5; W-4, D-1; L-0; GF-7; GA-3)

• 2017 Copa Centroamericana results: 2-1 win v Nicaragua, 2-1 win v El Salvador, 1-0 win v Panama, 1-1 draw v Costa Rica, 1-0 win v Belize

• 2017 Copa Centroamericana scorers: Eddie Hernandez (3 goals); Erick Andino, Roman Castillo (2) ... Hernandez won tournament’s golden boot and midfielder Jorge Claros won Golden ball ... fourth Copa Centroamericana title... trails only Costa Rica, which has won eight Copa Centroamericana crowns, since tournament inception in 1991

• 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying: currently in fifth place in fifth round of CONCACAF qualifying ... Fifth-round record: GP-6; W-1; D-2; L-3; GF-6; GA-14 ... Remaining matches: Trinidad & Tobago (A), United States (H), Costa Rica (A), Mexico (H) ... Overall qualifying record: GP-12; W-3, D-4; L-5; GF-12; GA-20

• Seven goals in 2018 World Cup Qualifying cycle have been scored by Houston Dynamo-based trio of Romell Quioto (4), Alberth Elis (2) and Oscar Boniek Garcia (1) ... Elis (6) and Quioto (4) have also combined for 10 league goals for Dynamo in 2017 Major League Soccer season

• Advanced beyond the group phase in five previous CGC appearances, before failing to do so in 2015, ending run of three straight trips to the semifinals ... overall, has progressed to at least the quarterfinal stage in seven of its previous 12 CGC appearances

• Scored one goal or fewer in its last seven CGC matches dating back to its second match of 2013 tournament ... has never been shutout in back-to-back matches in same CGC edition ... the Catrachos did lose the 2009 semifinal to the United States (0-2) and then opened the 2011 edition with a 0-0 draw against Guatemala

• CGC Record against Central American opposition: GP-10; W-6; D-3; L-1; GF-17; GA-8 ... unbeaten in last five matches against Central American foes (2W-3D-0L) despite scoring one goal or fewer in each match ... conceded only two goals in those last five games

• CGC Record in Group openers: GP-12; W-5; D-2; L-5; GF-21; GA-17 ... kept clean sheet in three of last four group openers ... 0-0 draw against Guatemala in the 2011 tournament marks only time Honduras has failed to score in opener 

COSTA RICA 

• Last Time Out at the Gold Cup: Mexico 1, Costa Rica 0 aet (2015 quarterfinals) ... yielded a penalty in the final minute of extra time ... Andres Guardado (120’+4) converted from the spot for Mexico

• Head Coach: Oscar Ramirez (Costa Rica) ... since 2015 ... entering his second Gold Cup as national team coach ... played in three matches at 1991 Gold Cup

• Previous Gold Cup appearances: 12 (1991, 1993, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015) ... Gold Cup record: GP-50; W-16; D-15; L-19; GF-76; GA-63 ... Best Finish: Runner-up-1 (2002) ... Top CGC Scorer: Walter Centeno (9 goals)

• Qualification method: 4th place, 2017 Central American Cup (GP-5; W-1, D-3; L-1; GF-4; GA-2) ... Goals: Jose Guillermo Ortiz (2); Johan Venegas, Francisco Calvo (1)

• 2017 Copa Centroamericana results: 0-0 draw v El Salvador, 3-0 win v Belize, 0-0 draw Nicaragua, 1-1 draw v Honduras, 0-1 loss v Panama ... Costa Rica, which entered the competition as two-time defending champion, has won a record eight Copa Centroamerica titles

• 2017 Copa Centroamericana scorers: Jose Guillermo Ortiz (2 goals); Francisco Calvo, Johan Venegas (1)...

• 2018 FIFA World Cup Qualifying: currently second place in fifth round of CONCACAF qualifying ... Fifth-round record: GP-6; W-3; D-2; L-1; GF-9; GA-4 ... Remaining matches: United States (A), Mexico (H), Honduras (H), Panama (A) ... Overall qualifying record: GP-12; W-8, D-3; L-1; GF-20; GA-7

• Advanced beyond group stage in nine consecutive CGC appearances, dating back to the 2000 tournament ... eliminated at quarterfinal stage in last three appearances

• Advanced beyond group phase in 2015 despite failing to record a single victory in group play (0W-3D-0L) ... second time in 12 CGC appearances that Costa Rica had failed to win a match

• Unbeaten in last three group openers (2W-1D-0L) ... scored at least one goal in last six group openers ... CGC Record in Group openers: GP-12; W-6; D-3; L-3; GF-27; GA-12

• Record against Central American opposition: GP-10; W-3; D-3; L-4; GF-14; GA-13 ... one win in last seven matches against Central American CGC foes (W-1; D-3; L-3) .. has not scored more than one goal against a Central American CGC foe since a 2-3 loss against Honduras in the 2005 quarterfinals

• Captain Bryan Ruiz, the 2016 CONCACAF Player of the Year, has appeared in three previous Gold Cup editions ... the Sporting Lisbon forward’s two CGC goals were scored 10 years apart ... 3-2 quarterfinal loss to Honduras in 2005 & 1-1 draw with El Salvador in 2015

• Four players on roster have scored in previous CGC editions: Marco Ureña (3 goals); Bryan Ruiz (2); Joel Campbell, David Ramirez (1)